Butterflies and Moths of North America

collecting and sharing data about Lepidoptera

Texan Crescent
Anthanassa texana (W.H. Edwards, 1863)


Family: Nymphalidae
Subfamily: Nymphalinae
Identification: Outer margin is indented below tip of forewing. Upperside is black with small white spots and some rusty red near wing bases. Hindwing with median band of cream-colored spots.
Wing Span: 1 1/4 - 1 7/8 inches (3.2 - 4.8 cm).
Life History: Males perch in gulches to watch for females. Eggs are laid in groups on underside of host plant leaves; caterpillars eat leaves.
Flight: Several broods, from March-November in south Florida and Arizona, throughout the year in South Texas and the tropics.
Caterpillar Hosts: Various low plants of the acanthus family including Ruellia, Jacobina, Beloperone, and Siphonoglossa.
Adult Food: Flower nectar.
Habitat: Deserts, dry gulches, open areas, streamsides, road edges, city parks.
Range: Guatemala north through Mexico to southern California, east across the southern United States to northern Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina. Strays to Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, South Dakota, and central Nevada.
Conservation: Not usually of concern.
NCGR: G4 - Apparently secure globally, though it might be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery.
Management Needs: None reported.
Alternate Scientific Names:
Phyciodes texana
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